Yume
by Distopia
Summary: Sometimes, nothing is as it seems. One girl dares to hope for an impossible dream... And is forced to suffer the consequences.
1. Chapter One: The Ballroom

**Title:** Yume

**Series:** Yuu Yuu Hakusho

**Author:** Distopia

**Summary:** Sometimes, nothing is as it seems. One girl dares to hope for an impossible dream... And is forced to suffer the consequences.

What becomes of the dreamer when the lines between reality and dream become blurred?

**Chapter One:** The Ballroom. (And; Like _Always_?)

* * *

She stumbled.

The simply ridiculous heels her poor long-suffering feet had been stuffed into upset her balance terribly, and the young woman stumbled around as though drunk. One hand swept demure grey silk to the side as she tripped on the back of her dress, before she finally reached her goal. Sinking back into the shadows of the corner, she dumped herself onto a convenient chair, fanning her face.

Beyond the forest of pillars ringing the ballroom, a glittering enchanted crowd ebbed like the tide, washing up against the occasional clot of people standing about and talking. The lilting strain of traditional waltz music distracted her, fading in an out like a radio with poor reception. Noise did that, also; the murmur of voices played counterpart to the music, fragments of conversation tripping over to land in her ears.

They were like nothing she had seen before.

A haunting sense of familiarity tugged at her thoughts, gently leading her down a path of total confusion. It almost seemed as though they changed as she watched; first dripping in gems, clothed in velvet and silk brocade; next rough and tumble young men and women in scuffed street clothes.

The flickering visions had her stomach churning uneasily and she put a hand to her forehead, nose crinkling up in distaste. She waited impatiently for it to subside, thoughts racing past confusion to realisation. The faces- she _knew_ them. Had watched them through the shimmering portal of her television time and time again.

Her memories of them warred with their reality and she groaned, hands sliding over the slippery silk that coated her abdomen. What was going _on_?

There where others like her in the ballroom, of that she was dimly aware. People dressed in simple, demure colours with bewildered looks on their faces. She rocked forward in the chair, propping her forehead up with her hands. Why did she…

_Would you care to dance?_

The cool, cultured voice intruded on her private misery like a diver plunging into icy waters. She gasped, instinctively curling back into the chair. !

_I won't bite, you know_.

Teeth sinking into her lower lip, she shot him a guarded look from under her lashes. The sensation of familiarity was lost in the glitter and shine of his presence, and she felt apprehension seize her like a clawed hand at the bottom of a well. His lips curled into a mocking smile and he extended his hand, shifting into a half-bow of European fashion.

The sight stung her to the core and she reacted without thinking, surging to her feet in a flurry of grey silk and seizing the offered hand, drawing closer to him. Bright light dazzled her for a moment and she unthinkingly reached up a hand to shield her eyes. Cool fingers brushed her forehead, and she froze.

Ageless eyes of a breathtaking colour stared back at her, something almost like _derision_ lurking in their depths. Her breath caught in her throat. This... this was when the hero or handsome stranger leans in, brushing her with his lips and compliments, breathing rhapsodies about her beauty into the shell of her ear, tracing patterns of promise on her exposed skin with soft, light touches, and-

She jerked herself from the chaotic whirl of thought with something like relief that tasted more like regret. Fighting not to choke on the heavy weight at the back of her throat, she turned a weak smile on the glittering Other.

"You wanted to dance, right?"

==/==

"So then what happened?"

"I woke up."

"You _woke up_? What the hell! You have this awesome dream, and then at the most awesome part you-"

"Wake up, yeah, I get it already."

"It's just- I can't believe- ooh, do you even know who he _was_?"

"Umm… well, yeah, I suppose... I mean, in dreams it's always like… you _know_, but you don't _know_, right?"

"I think so..."

"Yeah, like the bigger part of all of me gets it, but the little part in the dream just kinda goes, 'oh yeah okay whatever'. So anyway-"

"_Anyway,_ who was it?"

"I didn't think you'd be so interested-"

"Answer the damn question already, bitch."

"*snicker* Oh alright, your highness."

"…"

"_Well?_ You said you knew who it was!"

"…Yeah, it was, umm…Kurama…"

"Ku-whaddya mean? What anime?"

"…Yuu-Yuu Hakusho…"

"…"

"OH MY GOD!"

"Are you _trying_ to kill my eardrums?"

"That is _so_ cool! But- I mean, come _on_, a whole BALLROOM full of hot guys and girls from anime- and you only pick one?"

"Oh, I'm ever _so_ sorry, next time I'll remember to pick up my _slut brigade membership_-"

"Psshaa, so, what was it like? I mean these dreams are always intense, yeah?"

"It was really weird. I'm hiding there in this corner… and they're all out in the ballroom- and, get this Kat, _they weren't supposed to know I was there!_"

"What, you where like a spy or something?"

"No, I think it was just more of a 'look but don't touch' kind of deal."

"_Lame_. So, what happened after that?"

"Yeah, well, umm…"

"Oh god, you _did_ it, didn't you? The wallpaper thing. I cannot _believe_ you sometimes, I swear! Even in your _dreams_ you're an antisocial little bint!"

"Hey! I can be sociable! He asked me to dance!"

"That is so _not_ sociable- he was doing everything! Sociable would be _you_ asking _him_, idiot."

"Oh. Right… eh heh… Well, I'll do it next time then."

"Next time?"

"Yeah. It's a full moon- I can try tonight."

"… I forgot about that…"

"Look, why don't you sleep over? I might be able to get you in."

"Sweetie, sometimes you really creep me out. Wait- oh, I didn't mean it like that! It's just… you're so casual about it, yanno?"

"…"

"Look. I'll come round with some chips, we'll sit down and drool over some hot anime boys, then… we'll sleep. Sound good?"

"Yeah. Um… okay. Just let me ask mum…"

"And this time you are _not_ being a wallflower!"


	2. Chapter Two: First Dance

**A/N: **This is going here, since I didn't want it to disturb the flow of the first chapter. The first six chapters of Yume where originally written over six months and just languished there on my hard drive before I decided to post them. I considered staggering the posts but eventually just threw them all up at once, and told myself I'd try to post a new chapter once a month. It... kind of didn't happen, I've had a lot of IRL concerns regarding the tertiary college I attend etc.

Yume is an experiment for me in many ways, with regards to writing style, plot development, and characterisation (and also getting chapters out on time!) I'm going to try to update once a month from now on, but I won't make any promises.

**Chapter Two**: First Dance (And; Wait, _what?_)

* * *

The whispers rose in an accusing wave of sound, washing around the ballroom with tidal force, threatening to sweep her to the floor and drown her there. Biting the inside of her cheek, she tilted her head slightly to the side, catching a profile view of her dance partner.

He was cool and aloof, face completely bland and emotionless. Apprehension sank its claws deep within her once more and she struggled against its grip. Sink or swim- she would not be a dead weight.

The traditional waltz tunes that had been wafting through the air changed suddenly, and the heaviness at the back of her throat dropped to her feet. She stumbled, only the firm arm at her elbow saving her from a less than graceful meeting with the heavily scuffed marble flooring. Her sidelong glance was curiosity restrained by fear; he saw it and smiled, a slow baring of his teeth that did nothing to reassure her.

She was beginning to think that she'd made a mistake.

Then his arms where around her and- she was in heaven. This was everything and more her dreamer's heart had ever desired, it was heavy skirts sweeping against her legs and a firm male chest to sink against, it was tender touches filled with love and murmurs of solicitude, and once more the fingers feathering over her skin _but they had claws_ and-

"Jade? Where are you?"

_Shall we dance?_

"Wait- my friend; please, she's just over there."

_Ah, just this one song_.

She shuddered, steel bands clamping her firmly to his side. She had to be going mad; what else could explain these sudden heavy swirls of chaotic thought that drowned her in musk, lace, and eternal adoration? Nothing on earth was like that, she thought, and fear traced nimble fingers down her exposed back, before resting just above the swell of her hips.

_See? Nothing more than dancing,_

He coaxed in a voice that was-that was -she didn't _know_ what it was. Only that it enchanted her entirely, gently steering her eyes away from gaps in the crowd that revealed the Others dressed in street clothes and uniforms, laughing and joking with one another against strange and jarring backgrounds andhowcouldtheyallbehere?

_I thank you… for the dance_.

Trembling, and not sure if it was from fear or exhaustion, she sank into a curtsey. Sharp teeth flashed at her once more, breaking the slender strands of control woven about her. She fled from him, past the Others, gloriously bright and glittering- and shuddered to see the ones like her, helplessly snared in their grasp.

Something made her stop, though. She saw glitter, she saw bedazzlement, she saw colour so intense it made tears stream down her face. And she saw… _**I**__t_. She saw the Others slowly be consumed by their dance partners, slowly lose the gloss and glitter that marked them, until they where nothing more than hollow shells of what they once had been. Shaking, she turned to push and shove her way back through the crowd.

"KAT! Kat, where are you?"

_-care to dance?_

"Sure, handsome."

"Wha- Kat, _no_!"

"Oh, don't be silly, it's just a dance!"

No matter how ridiculous they looked, she tall and curvaceous, he slim and corded with muscle- the bright Otherness that shone from him somehow made it _right_. She trembled from head to toe, the chaotic heaviness settling over her in a choking shroud.

_NO!_

She fought free of moonlit kisses and stolen moments in corners, of heartfelt vows and glazed, adoring eyes.

_This isn't right!_

A few of the Others turned towards her with raised eyebrows, but they gave her no cause to worry. It was the ones on the edges- the girls and boys dressed in drab colours that slowly came to light in the glow of the Others; those, she knew to watch for. Those, she knew, would slowly consume the Others in a terrible parody of nature until they stood alone, the hollow shells dancing to their puppeteers tune.

"Kat, please- c'mon, it isn't that important- KAT!"

Exasperation and no small amount of fear lent her voice volume, and she dimly noticed the drab ones drawing ever closer. There was a disproportionate number of girls to boys, but she forced herself to ignore them. Sheer terror sang through her veins, and there was only one thought in her mind.

_I have to get to Kat_.

But Kat was having no part of this, joyfully striking out all over the ballroom floor, whipping about like some grand flower twirled by a small child. The Other's face was smooth and impassive, but his eyes- they _burned_. She felt like a salmon swimming upstream, pushing desperately against the tide.

Burgundy silk teased the corner of her eye. The grey silk gown pulled against her body in a way that, at any other time, would have made her feel sensuous and attractive. Now, though, it simply made her feel claustrophobic. The gown tugged again as she slipped through a gap in the crowd, sure that she had spotted Kat-

She stopped dead, as hands so cold that they burned traced a meandering trail over her exposed back. The rest of the ballroom faded out in a wash of white, the edges of her vision burning so brightly that she felt certain her eyes would begin to bleed. Then the hands moved, turning her like a lifeless doll. That chaotic heaviness was back again, a drugging current that dragged her under, chained her limbs and swathed her in shrouds-

_Do not struggle. This is what you wanted, is it not_?

She woke up.

==/==

"Oh sweet Goddess, lady of the paths and junctions, I beg you to stand over me now and guide my way in this time of darkness…"

"Mmmff… Jade, what the… it's three am! What the bloody hell are you babbling about?"

"…Kat? _Kat!_ Are you okay?"

"Of course I'm okay, you nancing idiot. Are you on drugs?"

"NO! No, I'm… I'm _worried_ about you, okay?"

"So what was with all the mystic mumbo-jumbo then?"

"… I was praying …"

"What? Did I hear- oh. Um. _Okaaayy_ then… any particular reason why?"

"Kat- what did you dream about?"

"Righty-o, _don't_ answer my question then-"

"This is _important_. What. Did. You. Dream. About."

"Pfft, what the hell? Look, I don't get what you're getting so uptight about-"

"_Answer me, Katrina._"

"…The ballroom. The one you told me about."

"…"

"Shit, seriously, are you alright Jade? You look like death warmed over."

"Oh no…"

"Um, look, you can stop impersonating a corpse now, it _really_ isn't funny-"

"Sorry. Look… that dream was _wrong_. You where there, and- the Others, they where-_dying_ or maybe not; look, something _really_ weird happened. What was the ballroom like?"

"Are you sure that you're okay, Jade?"

"Katrina, please, just answer me. Tell me what your dream was about."

"Sure sure, don't get your panties in a twist. Okay, so… there was this big ballroom. You know, high ceiling, pillars all around the edge, marble flooring, that kind of stuff."

"I know what it looks like."

"Right. Um. Okay- so, there where all these people dancing there, just like you said. I saw you for a bit, I think, then this _really_ hot guy asked me to dance. So- I did. We danced for ages, and Gods was it the best thing ever- I mean, there's dancing, and then… there's _dancing_. It just… it felt so _right_, me being there with him, yanno?"

"…Yeah…"

"Well anyway I heard you a few times- I dunno what the hell you where saying- and then he suggested we head somewhere, you know, a bit more _private_-"

"You DIDN'T!"

"Oh boy did we _ever_. Man, I felt like I was on fire! If that's what your dreaming mumbo-jumbo does, you're gonna _live_ at my house from now on!"

"You didn't see?"

"See what? Hun, I was a bit busy…"

"At the edges of the ballroom. The- the people there. So pale and washed out- drab and grey and, and- _weird_."

"Oh. Um. Well… I… I think I remember something _like_ that… but really, you should have seen this guy, I mean get me a bucket for my drool! _Seriously._"

"Kat, there was something _wrong_ with them. They where people like you and me- but when they danced with the Other people…"

"What _are_ you getting at? And just what the hell where you on before we went to bed?"

"Kat, they were _eating_ the Other people!"

"Okay, this is getting downright creepy. What the _hell_ do you mean, _eating_ them?"

"The Others- the hot people, you know- they glowed, right?"

"Well… yeah, they did, actually. I didn't really notice it, but … Yeah, they _did _glow."

"When the people on the edges danced with them- when I say eating, it's like… Aarggh! The Others- they glowed. But when the people on the edges danced with them, they… they stopped glowing. Or didn't stop, but it was like they were being drained away or something."

"What, like parasites?"'

"Well yeah, but more like… like _Mary-Sues!_"

"What?"

"Weeelll, you know how in fanfics the Mary-Sue always turns the canon characters hella out of character and warps and drains them and all that stuff?"

"… I don't like where you're going with this…"

"The people on the edges- they ate the Other people, and turned into 'Sues! What the hell? This can't be right- I mean, it's just a dream. Anime people and all that… they aren't real, they _can't_ be, but then how…?"

"Look, Jade, this dream-connection thing you've got going is great, but they _are_ just dreams. Chill out, okay? I mean that was the _best_ dream I've had in a while, and boy could you use something like that. Aw hell, screw it, you need it in real life, girl! Get your head out of the clouds for awhile."

"… can't be real…"

"Huh? You say something?"

"Umm…. Nah, don't worry. Look, if it bothers you so much, then find me a boyfriend, 'kay?"

"Jade, you are _on_. Those dreams of yours are gonna get one helluva lot steamier once you get some real-life lovin' in ya!"

"… Sweet merciful Mother, I have unleashed a monster."

"Now, what about Jacob? He's pretty cute, got a great arse on him too…"


	3. Chapter Three: Thirteen Hours

**Chapter Three: **Thirteen Hours (And; Did he see me?)

* * *

_This is what you wanted_.

Ice cold hands smoothed over her bare throat, traced meandering trails over the skin of her collarbones, and teased at the edges of her demure grey gown. For once, Jade was absurdly grateful for the modesty and self-conscious that her covered in cloth from head to toe… almost.

She shuddered again, a wracking pain that spiralled through her body, as those ice cold hands drifted down her back, followed the contours of her spine, and settled on her hips. She almost brought a fist to her mouth in an effort to quell the shudders and her soft whimpers, but she was spinning- out of control, in the centre of a whirlpool, sucked under and battered against the razor edges of the current- in _**I**__ts_ arms, and everything was white again.

Jade sucked in a ragged breath, stomach cramping itself into knots. Why the strange being (Mary-Sue, Bringer of Death, One Who is Beyond, The Other) had taken interest in her, she could guess, but did not want to know.

"P-please… let me go. You're _hurting_ me,"

She added, voice rapidly escalating in pitch when those hands shifted to her wrists, tendons grating as those ice-cold hands sank into her skin. Kaleidoscope eyes burning her own from her face as lips of indescribable, sensuous beauty stole the breath from her lungs, silken hands gently gently flaying the skin from her body, icy claws settling an arctic chill down into her bones-

_May I cut in? I believe the Lady owes me a dance._

She was abruptly wrenched away from the deathly embrace, and the young woman was torn between euphoric elation and a revulsion so deep that she wanted to boil the skin from her bones. But he was there, the strange Other that she knew-but-did-not, the one her waking self knew enough of to warn her away.

Hair as crimson as freshly spilled blood, eyes the colour of razor sharp green glass, and a body that moved with an inhuman grace. How was she any safer with an Other, than the being who had trapped her so easily before?

_Ah, my thanks. Come, Lady, our song is playing_,

He interjected over the tumult of strange, bright sensations rippling through the air that might once have been called words. Dazed, Jade made no move to resist as he dragged her away, fingers locked around her tender wrists in a vice.

"Wha-what, wait, what did- That _Thing_, and you- Other. You're an Other, why are you doing this, y-you don't-"

_Hush. Enjoy the dance,_

He murmured, a finger against her lips quelling her hysterical questions. Swallowing past the thickness of her tongue, she nodded and dropped her head, fighting to hold back the tears in her eyes. She was far beyond scared now, had long since passed terror and was settling into a debilitating sort of numbness.

Jade was convinced that she was going to die here in this ballroom, with the strange Others and their parasitic partners, where the Dancers shifted realities as easily as one might change clothes.

_Such morbid thoughts do not suit you. We are dancing- do try to enjoy yourself._

This time his voice held more a dry, humorous edge and she managed a weak smile. In the manner of all dreamers she accepted the fact that, somehow he could hear her thoughts or at least knew their vein, and lost herself to the dance.

And- for awhile, it was all that she had wanted and more. Her young heart swelled to the point of bursting, despite the shadow of fear that still cloaked her… and then she caught sight of the Clock.

It was perched at the head of the sweeping stairs leading down into the ballroom, a simply monstrous grandfather clock creation of dark and heavy jarrah, carved into mythic beasts of all proportions. But that wasn't what had caught her attention. What made her heart stutter in fear was the thirteen hours marked out on its face, and the few paltry hours she had left of that time.

She shot her dance partner and saviour a wild eyed glanced, twisting in his iron grip, only to find that the green eyes where as hard looking at her as they had been at _**I**__t_. Grey eyes glazed with tears and she tore herself away, pushing not with just her hands, but the strange sense of _more_ that always nibbled at the edges of her consciousness.

Jade fled the ballroom, tumbling head over heels into chaotic dreams, and never noticed the stunned look the Other sent her way when he saw the fox tails wriggling beneath her dress.

==/==

"Jesus Aye Frickin' Christ, what the hell is the matter with _that_ one?"

"Katrina, he's a _jerk_. He dumped a garbage can in my backpack in year eight."

"A _hot_ jerk."

"Wait- oh my, look at that one over by the water fountain!"

"Oh, you're kidding- since when did you have a thing for red-heads?"

"Since I never sat in a public place debating the relative attractiveness of anything on legs that walked past?"

"…waitaminute- _anything_ on legs? Ohh, Ohh, I see a blush! My widdle bubby girl has her fingers in both pies, does she?"

"Oh yeah, say it louder, they didn't hear you in Antartica!"

"What, hey, chill- don't you stab me with that fork! I'm just _saying_- ow, dammit, that hurt! You little hellion, I oughta-"

"Ah, ah, that's cheating! Why the hell did you just dump an _icecube_ down my shirt, you freak?"

"Maybe cause that hot red head is looking you up and down?"

"What, where? _Oh my God_ he's looking at me- Katrina, move so I can hide!"

"Hah! Ladies and gentlemen, today we are lucky enough to witness the extreme cowardice of this very shy, modest species. Note the red of its cheeks and its frantic movements as it is- OI! What did I tell you about that goddamn fork?"

("_Kitty_, _he's looking at me!_")

"..."

"Is he still there?"

"No, you managed to scare him off by being a complete spaz."

"R-Really?"

"...the chance to film such extreme yellow-bellied cowardice is rarely given to any- hey, hey, I was joking! *snicker*"

"I-I... ooh, Ima gonna getcha, I swear! What the hell was that? You _know_ I act like a spaz whenever there's a cute guy- Oh god. Oh god, he's right behind me, isn't he? Kitty- KITTY! Stop drooling and hide mmeeee!"

"Huh? Wha? Mmm... wet shirts. You know, this cafe is _really_ good, got some excellent landscaping in the middle of the mall-"

"_You are a horrible pervert. _SAVEMEDAMMIT!"

"Oh chill, he stopped a few meters away, cool it. Jeez, I really don't know what your problem is."

"..."

"Jade? Jade- hey, are you alive? Talk to me girl! Don't die of embarrassment, that would be so incredibly _lame_ and-"

"...can't breathe..."

"Huh? Oh, eh heh, sorry 'bout that babe..."

"I'll try to forgive you sometime before the next century."

("Is he still there?")

"I'm sure you'll forgive me _long_ before that- I'm far too irresistible."

("No, you wuss, he's leaving with his friends.")

"Hmm, maybe I can stretch your sentence out..."

"Oh yeah? Well- hey, your ice cream is melting."

("So he's gone?")

"Hmm? Oh, right, and its _sorbet_, remember? Uwaah, it's all over my hand..."

("If you were anymore of a coward you'd be afraid of your own damn shadow.")

"If you keep eating your 'sorbet' like that, he's going to come back over- eat, not breathe! Donotbreathicecream!"

"Hack- bleeeh, urgh... Yuck..."

"*snicker*"

"Oh, you can stop laughing, alright? This isn't funny..."


	4. Chapter Four: Dizzy Spirals

**Chapter Four:** Dizzy Spirals (And; No _way_.)

* * *

"Mmm- oh, like that,"

She murmured, arching into phantom touches and kisses, her mind a dizzy whirl of half-forgotten dream fragments and secret longings. A gasp wrung itself from her throat when she felt a warm hand smooth its way down her thigh, and she shivered from head to toe when silky strands of hair pooled on her belly.

Her mind had nothing concrete to grasp at, and she was provided with flickers of visions and phantom touches, her mind stirring her body into a storm of lust. She felt the cry build up in her throat and strangled it, wriggling and tossing her head from side to side.

Something- no, it was... was it Him? She didn't know, but- surely it _was_, and- it couldn't _not_ be, her mind wasn't that traitorous (but she didn't really know that, now did she?) and she wasn't that lost in the clouds to delude herself with fantasy; but it looked so much like- _no way_, only superficial; why did it matter; and this could be wrong, but, but-

But it just felt so _good_.

Jade sighed out one long exhalation and plummeted from the dream, wrapped in its fleeing echoes as she plunged deeper and deeper into the depths.

==/==

"So what did you dream about?"

"Huh? Umm... why?"

"Cuz you dream 'bout interesting stuff. Other people think up weird and random shit, but yours- I mean, yeah, okay, they're pretty fucken weird- but they're _interesting_."

"Oh. _Oh_. Um, thank you?"

"Heh. So, anyway, whaddya dream about last night?"

"..umm.."

"Oh ho! Is that a wee bit of red I see? Is my dear little Jadey-Wadey _embarrassed_ by something she dreamt? Ooohhh, my little baby is finally growing up, she has hormones and _everything_ now, you-"

"Oh. My. God. You are a _shameless pervert_."

"*cackle* Mwwaahaahaaa, you betcha, chicken. Okay, so, tell!"

"I-I'm ... no way! It was just... you know... random and stuff, and well, kinda nice I suppose..."

"_Nice_, now was it? Toe curling-ly _nice_ or scream-until-I-can't-_breathe_ nice?"

"?"

"*snicker* Oh, sweetie, I'm only teasin'! If you go any redder you'll look like a sun going nova."

"...die."

"Haahaa, aaww look, my widdle Jadey wants to off me! Haahaa!"

"Seriously, Katrina, I am _going to get you back_."

"Yah huh. Sure, honey. And I'm going to strip off my clothes and use the school flag pole as a- OHMYGOD that bitch! She stole my idea!"

"She what- wait, is she _naked_? Oh, holy mother of-"

"Woah."

"_Wow_. Those _have_ to be real."

"..."

"Don't look at me like that, you where thinking it too."

"Sweetie, I swing strictly one way."

"I know but- holy mother of SHIT she is flexible! Good god, she must work out _heaps_."

"Okay, I was fine with it before now but- your poor virgin eyes are being molested! Right-yo, this way, we are hiding in the library-"

"Aw c'mon, all the guys where looking-"

"Wouldyoustopsquirming- Oi, OI! Get back here!"

"Oops! I left my pencil behind!"

"I'm gonna leave my _foot _up yer _arse_ in a minute."

"Alright, geez. *snicker* Really, the look on your face..."

"What? C'mon, you cheeky shit, tell-"

"Like a mother hen defending her chicks. Come on Kitty, _chill_. I wouldn't date her, that chick is obviously on drugs."

"... good point. Or crazy, one of the two."

"Yeah, I know. I mean, _seriously_, who does that on the first day of school?"

"I think crazy."

"_I_ think crazy, with drugs and _hypnotic suggestion_."

"Oohhh, she's gettn out them fancy words thar! Run fer yer layfe!"

"That accent is _atrocious_."

"Heh. It's great, I know."

"You wish."

"..."

"..."

"So... Jade..."

"What, Kitty?"

"The person in your dream- they were a guy, right?"

"-snerk- Oohh, haahaa-"

"Hey- hey, it was just a question! Are you gonna answer it or not?"

"Haahaa, _yes_ it was a guy-"

"A certain red head, maybe? Ohh, look, your face matches."

"I do _not_- oh god, I'm brighter than a sunburnt tomato. _Kiiitttttyyyy_-"

"Oh look, first class, better hurry!"

"I _will_ get you for this."

"Yah huh, sweetie, and television's eat people. Now scoot!"


	5. Chapter Five: Centre Stage

**Chapter Five:** Centre Stage (And; You little-)

* * *

She watched them from afar.

High up in the gallery that ringed the ballroom, she leant against the ornately carved balustrade and watched the crowd. Ebb and flow; step and twirl; feast and starve. Like waves breaking upon a rocky shore, the drab and demure Dancers sought ceaselessly to conquer the bright Others. Every curtsey and step was a tidal surge of force slamming up against the rocks, slowly wearing away their strength.

The click of a fan opening sounded as though it had come from miles away, yet the offending object lay in her hands. Snapping it closed, she thoughtfully tapped it against her lips and continued to watch.

**I**t burned in the centre of the dance floor. She could see **I**t; like moths to a flame, the glutted Dancers where inexorably drawn forward into **I**ts vampiric embrace.

From here higher vantage point, Jade was able to view something that had completely escaped her from before now. She watched, entranced, slowly picking out a pattern in the ebb and flow of the Others and their parasitic partners, the Dancers. From the clusters of drab and demure Dancers on the edges, to the clots of Others and their warping realities, all where threaded through by the dancing couples, with **I**t at the centre.

From above, it look like a gargantuan, grossly throbbing and pulsating flower. An oddly shaped one to be sure, but a flower nonetheless. She shivered, foxtails flicking anxiously under her dress.

In the manner of all dreamers she unconsciously accepted their presence just as easily she did their absence, fading from one dream to the next. Still, they where a comfort to her, and she spent several minutes twitching and flicking them, enjoying the brush of silky fur against her bare legs.

She didn't remember what she'd come here for...

==/==

"Seriously. School assemblies? _Lame-o-saurus_."

"Kitty, you just made that up, didn't you."

"And if I did? Watcha gonna do?"

"Report you to the Grammar Police."

"Ya huh, _whatever_."

"..."

"...so... doing anything this weekend, Jade?"

"Well, apart from homework and some chores, not much- why?"

"Oh, no reason... I was thinking of seeing a movie."

"Huh. I thought you were going a date with that Lochlan guy?"

"Oh. Eh-heh. Yes, well..."

"Okay, seriously, STOP DROOLING. As in right _now_, Kat!"

"Chill babe, just you wait, you'll being doing this soon enough!"

"Pfft, as _if_."

"... is that? Oh. Hey, wait a minute, that's my phone."

"Hmm? Yeah, okay."

"Hello? What- oh. Yeah, okay, do I- huh? I suppose so, she's right here, why? Oh. _Oohh_. Yeah, I'll ask.

Jade, honey, I have a favour to ask."

"As long as I can plausibly get blackmail out of it, sure."

"_Funny_. No, remember how we always have an exchange student around?"

"... wait, what..."

"You know, my brother met him at University? He stays at our house? Japanese bloke with orange hair?"

"Kat, I have no idea-"

"Oh, don't be an idiot, I _know_ that you remember Kuwabara."

"WHAT? Hang on a minute-"

"Jade, this isn't funny. Look, I'm not in the mood, so quit it, okay?"

"I- oh, _whatever_. What did you want?"

"Mum wants to know if you'll come round, apparently Kuwabara wants to bring a friend along this time. She said it's a bit mean to ask him to translate when he's jet lagged."

"... I sense a disturbance in the force..."

"Ah heh... Oh, well- you're so _paranoid_! Jeeze, lighten up a little-"

"Your face looks _weird_. And it looks like that that when you're _lying_, Katrina-"

"YES! Mum, she said yes, I'll bring her around after school- what was that? Why yes, yes I shall, love you, bye!"

"What the hell was all that about? Katrina, you better fess up-"

"Sorry love, but I've gotta get to class, don't wanna be late and all that-"

"KATRINA, YOU- oops, crowded place... Hiding now.

... I am _so_ getting her back for this..."


	6. Chapter Six: Full Circle

**Chapter Six:** Full Circle

Jade came to awareness as she was dipped into a low backbend, her body stretched to its fullest extent. She felt her face go bright red when she realised just how _close_ her dance partner was, and vainly tried to muffle her squeak of dismay. His low chuckle rumbled up through her and she blushed again, ducking her head as he twirled her away.

Fighting past her confusing and conflicting emotions, she tilted her head to one side and considered this new comer. He was shorter than the Other she remembered, with gel slicked and dark coloured hair, brown eyes sparking with mischief. She went impossibly red again as he pulled her tight against him and sidestepped, eyebrows quirking as he shot her a knowing smirk.

Her skirts rustled as her tails lashed, and she fought the urge to bare her teeth at him. Matching him step for step in the quick paced dance, she warily kept her attention on him as they wove through the other dancers. They brushed heart-stoppingly close to Dancers and their victims, and swirled past Others so bright and strong they all but made her heart stop.

The strange heaviness that had dogged her footsteps faded, and the current no longer tugged so sharply at her ankles. Twisting her hips sharply, she met his movements with an aggressive thrust of her chin, eyes sparking.

Something- there was- it wasn't, but- confusion settled heavy hands on her shoulders and her breath hitched in her throat once more. This was... wrong. Jade tensed up in his grip, and did not fail to miss the mocking glance he speared her with.

Bristling, she wrenched herself from his grip and stumbled back a few steps, panting. He easily slipped back into a more natural pose, legs braced at shoulders width, one hand on his hip and a cocky grin on his face-

She shuddered as that strange ripple occurred, and she caught a glimpse of another reality crash over him. Jade swallowed convulsively and shook with fine tremors, and all the while his steady gaze remained on hers. Tearing away from it, she picked up her skirts and lurched into a run, terribly confused.

To begin in the middle of a dance was just _wrong_, especially with him, and she didn't understand, there were far too few Dancers and too many Others, and her vision swirled, whirled and dipped like a dance itself.

Sucking in a harsh breath, she reached a hand back to feel the reassuring touch of her tails beneath the dress, twisting to avoid the couple that swooped past her. Then she shrieked with indignation, jumping on the spot and whirling around as she felt a warm hand snake over her backside.

A cutting insult died on her lips as she recognised the figure, and she tensed again, heeding the unspoken threat that swirled ever so slowly about him. She bit her lower lip gently as he executed a perfect bow, rising from it to offer her his hand.

_May I have this Dance?_

But the emphasis, the intonation, it was all wrong, and if she had been a canine, every strand of fur would have been standing on end. Her eyes flared with worry before she sank into a hesitant curtsey and took his hand, all too aware of the heavy gazes upon her from the crowd.

Lead weights jostled and tumbled in her stomach as he tugged her into some slow variant of the waltz, a dance she somehow managed perfectly. She almost felt under-siege, as those glass-green eyes pinned her in place, and she trembled in his grip. Jade had just worked up her courage to ask a question of him when she was suddenly passed off to another dancer.

The words choked her as she fought for breath, having been thrown into a sprightly jig with an orange haired giant, who gleefully whirled her about. She swallowed heavily and focused on the messy tie at his throat, her sense of the world going _wrong_ once more as reality crashed over him like a wave, and- she was being passed to another dancer, this one much shorter, who moved with quick and lithe steps.

She was dizzy from movement, from action, from the burning brightness of the Others as the Four –and she knew that, somehow, these and the number where _important_- passed her amongst them like a rag doll. It didn't take long for exhaustion to nip at her heels, and her tails twisted and writhed with uncertainty as she began to trip and stumble.

Bright lights and colours merged into a dizzying haze, and all she wanted was a cool and quiet corner to hide in, a place to escape because it was too much, too soon, and she would-

"_Stop_, please, this isn't what- I don't, that is- I want to go home!"

To her shame she was crying, pitiful sobs wracking her body as she fought for oxygen past the tears, and those glass-green eyes cut her to the core with shocking indifference. His lips curved into a bitter, mocking smile and he bent her into a backbend, body pressed flush against hers.

Jade was too exhausted to do anything but accept this passively as the music ended in a triumphant flourish, to tired and bewildered to refuse when he pulled her to her feet. Backing away, he executed yet another bow and pinned her beneath those impossible eyes of his.

_But my Lady... you have never left_.

And she knew fear.

---


	7. Chapter Seven: Life and Times

**Chapter Seven: **Life and Times (Of your typical teenager)

* * *

"Katrina- hey, KAT! OVER HERE!"

Jade bellowed above the crowd, jumping up and down and waving at her friend. The other girl broke off her conversation with her on-again off-again love interest, and flashed her a smile. Pressed so close that they almost seemed to fuse together, the two bid one another good bye passionately. As Katrina began walking over to her friend, the shorter girl mimed a gagging motion and rolled her eyes.

Grinning good naturedly, Katrina used her superior height and mass to wrestle Jade into a headlock.

"What- Hey, leggo! Insufferable cow,"

Jade grumbled, fussily smoothing her hair back into a low ponytail. Snorting, Katrina navigated the crowd with ease as the two headed for the front gates, where her car was parked. Hitching her bag higher up on her shoulders, Jade shot her dark haired friend an uneasy glance.

She was distinctly confused and unnerved by the current situation. She was _sure_ that she'd never met this 'Kuwabara' guy, yet every time she thought that, faint memories began to rise up within her mind, like bubbles in a glass of coke. And Katrina's reaction had been even more confusing. Jade knew that her family had often hosted exchange students from Japan; Katrina's brother visited there often, and usually brought a friend or two back with him.

Still... something about all of this set her teeth on edge, and she was forced to battle paranoia as she dropped herself into the passenger seat. Tugging at the seat belt, she lapsed back into her thoughts as Katrina sent the car screaming out of the school, more than a few idiots cheering her on.

All of this combined with her dreams made her feel as though she was poised on the edge of a gaping chasm, one she knew with terrible certainty would swallow her whole. She was jerked from her thoughts by strangely familiar surroundings, and she shot Katrina a dark scowl.

"HEY! I thought we were going to your house?"

"We are- _after_ we go clothes shopping."

"But-but- I never agreed to this! And don't you have to help your mum with Hayden's Japanese friends, anyway?"

Jade added in an accusing tone of voice, grey eyes narrowed dangerously. Katrina gave a flippant wave of her hand and grinned, busy searching for a parking spot in the crowded bay.

"Their plane is arriving later this afternoon. Sides, you _promised_ me this, and I'm calling it. So put up or shut up,"

She smugly informed the other teen. Jade huffed crankily, and flicked a long strand of pale brown hair back over her shoulder.

"I'm doing this under protest, I'll have you know,"

The teen told her friend haughtily, nose stuck up in the air. Rolling her eyes expressively, the dark haired teen swatted playfully at her friend.

"_Whatever_. C'mon, Jay Jays has a sale on."

"Oohh, maybe they have some of those cool smart arse shirts- like maybe one that says 'Does not play well with others'-"

"You seemed to 'play' well enough with Tyler last time I saw-"

"Yah! _Kitty_!"

Katrina snickered and smirked, knowing by her friends bright blush that she'd won this round. Looping her own arm through one of Jade's, she tugged the protesting girl off to her store of choice.

"And I'm warning you right now, _no more stripes_, or you'll get it..."

==/==

"...sure it's okay? No, we aren't going out just 'cause it's a Friday...Uh huh, she's going to _drop me off_,"

Jade emphasised with a growl and fierce glare. Busy sorting through several of her new tops, the taller girl snorted and pointedly ignored her friend.

"So I can pick my stuff up. Uh huh... yeah, I know... Mm. Okay, love you as well- yeah. See you in twenty minutes, okay? Bye Mum."

Snapping her phone shut, the teen tossed it back into her school bag, and threw herself at Katrina's bed. The dark haired teen gave a squawk of dismay as some paperwork went sliding off, and Jade snickered at her reaction."

"You little... Do you _know_ how long it took me to organise that?"

"Probably as long as it took you to clean your room,"

Came the lazy reply, as grey eyes roved around the surprisingly clean bed room. Huffing, Katrina planted one hand on her ample hip and shot her friend an irritated look.

"So says the hypocrite. How long has it been since _you_ cleaned your room?"

"Errr... lesse... not last month, I was feeling lazy... and the month before that I was busy, and I _meant_ to do it, but..."

"_Exactly_. So put up or shut up. Hey, what top do you think I should wear?"

"Random subject change. What, for today?"

"No, for the _weekend_. Of course for today! Kuwabara is really nice, and I want to make a good impression on his friend."

Grey eyes sharpened, and Jade shot her friend a narrow and suspicious look as the other teen stuffed the new shirts into her cramped closet. Her lips curled into a smirk, and she reorganized herself more comfortably on the bed.

"So, is this friend who's coming over _cute_? 'Cause you've never bothered dressing up before, and-"

"Shut it! It isn't anything like that... Um. Actually..."

Jade blinked, her mind coming to a swift conclusion that had her stunned. She tilted her head to one side, watching as her friend batted uneasily at the empty shopping bags, then let out a sudden gleeful squeal.

"OH! You like Kuwabara-kun, don't you? Aaww, that's so cute- I mean I knew you liked older guys, but-"

"_Jade_! Not so loud! Oh gawd, you're gonna try an embarrass me, aren't you."

"Wha? Hey! I am a staunch and loyal companion, and one such as I would never besmirch my honour-"

"Cut the crap before I make you _walk_ home."

"Eh heh... I was maybe thinking about it, but- eep!"

The bed rocked as Katrina thumped onto it with a mock scowl on her face, and poked her friend sharply in the arm. Jade drew back for a moment, hesitant, then let her face relax into a grin as she treated the older girl to an impromptu hug.

"Hey. Chill. I'm your friend for a _reason_, remember? I promise to be good."

Dark brows snapped together in a withering frown, and Jade ducked her face away from her friends scorching hazel glare. She poked both index fingers together, comically sheepish.

"Okay, I promise to _try_ and be good. That okay?"

"Considering how much worse it could be... yeah, that'll do, you brat."

Katrina grumbled, before shooting her friend a quick, unsure smile. Jumping from the bed, the brunette began picking up her shopping bags, back pack slung hap hazardly over one shoulder.

"C'mon Kitty, you owe me a ride. Oh, hey, when are they getting here anyway?"

"Hmm? Hey, that's mine. Um, later this evening I think, I heard that their flight got delayed. You only love me for my car, don't you?"

She wailed melodramatically as the two tromped out to said car. Arching her brows, Jade shot her friend a cheeky grin and made a run for it, throwing her friend a two finger salute for good measure.

"Of course! What else are you good for?"

"Why you little- GET BACK HERE! I _saw_ that!"


	8. Chapter Eight: What you don't know

**Chapter Eight**: What you don't know... (Will bite you in the arse!)

* * *

Lazily tossing shirts out of the drawer and onto her bed, Jade grumpily continued searching for her favourite shirt. She was _sure_ she'd seen it somewhere lately, but... maybe it wasn't in her chest of drawers. Eyeing off the thin strip of floor between her bed and her cane drawers, she hopped over a pile of spare pillows.

A frission of unease skated down her spine as she fished her shirt out of a pile of clothes she _thought_ were clean, and she looked around suspiciously. There was nothing, but... Unable to explain why she felt so on edge, the teen grabbed a silver pendant from her dresser.

She'd just finished fastening it around her neck when Katrina came ambling down the hallway and stuck her head around the partially closed door.

"Sheesh, anyone would think you're packing for the next year,"

Katrina grumbled, quirking an eyebrow as she took in the clothes scattered everywhere. Flushing guiltily, Jade wriggled into her favourite shirt and grabbed her over-nite backpack. Bouncing on her heels, she shot her friend a bright grin and grabbed her pillow, shoving playfully at the taller teen until she moved.

"It's only a few spare outfit changes. So did your mum say when their plane was coming in?"

Halfway down the hall ahead of her, Katrina paused and frowned, turning a little to shoot her friend a quizzical look.

"What plane?"

Jade hesitated for half a step before taking the plunge, waving goodbye to her mum as they moved to the front door.

"I'll be back on Sunday,"

She called back in reply to her mothers distracted query, locking the door behind Katrina, who was looking annoyed.

"Ah- the one with Hayden's friends on it?"

Sliding into the drivers seat, Katrina shot Jade a side long look, clearly wondering what was going through her head.

"Hayden's friends just _left_, you came with us to the airport,"

Katrina replied after a long moment, gunning the engine to send them up the steep driveway. Feeling something sick and sour twist in her gut, Jade scrambled for something to cover up with.

"Oh- _right_, sorry, you know I've bee a bit air headed lately, still getting used to the whole 'last year of school thing'."

She offered with a feeble laugh, squirming a little in her seat when dark brows narrowed suspiciously. Picking nervously at the frayed edge of the seat belt, she risked a look at Katrina. The radio hummed in the back ground, mercifully set lower than ear blasting for once, and she was grateful that it broke up the silence between them.

"Hmm. Okay then. Well, mum said I could borrow a pair of her shoes if I wanted, and I think I know the pair I want."

Jade ran her tongue over her lips and curled up in the passenger seat, wondering if the feeling of unease she'd gotten had been a premonition. Still, there was nothing for it but to move forward.

"Oh... your date with Lochlan."

Her words hesitant, Jade looked out the window, trying to hide her sudden bout of nerves. They slowed to a stop as they rounded the corner, gravel crunching under the cars tyres as Katrina mounted her curb to their front 'lawn' (if compressed road base could be called that.)

"Yeah, I really think this will be something good."

The silent _'this time_' hung in the air between them, and Jade was smart enough to ignore it. Dragging her stuff off the back seat, she gave her friend a bright smile and a thumbs up.

"As long as you stick to your guns, Kitty, you should be fine."

Giving the shorter teen a distracted smile, Katrina locked the car and headed for the house. Jade drifted after her, thoughts churning over the strange anomalies. She was _sure_ that Kat had mentioned Hayden having some friends over from Japan, but... Deciding that she'd probably just imagined it, the teen firmly pushed down the unease curling up through her.

She just had an over active imagination, that was all.

==/==

Smacking his hand away from the steaming dish, Katrina shot a mock glare at her older brother, Hayden. Expression one of wounded dignity, Hayden drew himself up, preparing to launch into an indignant speech when there was a loud squeal from behind him.

"Oh my _gawd_, cheesy potatoes! Yum, yum, oohh when can we have some, is dinner soon?"

Jade all but chanted, dancing around Katrina as the older teen tried to smack her fingers with the plastic spatula. Rolling his eyes, Hayden finally grabbed Jade in a bear hug from behind, tousling her pale brown hair playfully.

"What, no hug for your most favourite adopted-big-brother?"

He demanded, as Katrina poked her tongue out and began serving up their dinner. Squealing and wriggling, Jade tried frantically to get away, laughing as his fingers danced over her ribs.

"Wah! I give, I give! Hayden, let _goooo_, there is FOOD right THERE!"

The teen wailed, straining against his hold. Snickering, Katrina's parents ambled into the room, well used to the teen's antics. Expression laconic, Geoffrey Websy slouched into the room and casually nicked a hash brown from the oven tray, as his wife Lorraine walked in behind him.

"Stop abusing the poor child, Hayden. You'll burst our ear drums,"

She teased with a warm smile, prompting an embarrassed blush out of Jade, who quieted quickly. Behind the counter, Katrina had finally noticed her fathers theft and gave an indignant yelp as he smirked and split the takings with Lorraine.

"This all, then?"

Geoffrey mused, taking in the dish of sliced potatoes cooked with cream and a cheese topping; a side of hash browns for all of them; thick herb sausages, oozing with meat and juices; steamed carrots and beans, with the former being drizzled in honey; and lastly, golden cobs of corn.

Huffing, Katrina planted a hand on her hip and waved her spatula, expression mock offended.

"I go to all the trouble of actually _making_ dinner, and all you can do is ask for more?"

Quickly heading off the battle of words as father and daughter looked at each other with a challenge in their eyes, Lorraine moved to begin serving herself some dinner.

"Katrina, I'm grateful that you went to all the trouble of making us dinner tonight. You did a great job,"

She told her daughter with a warm smile. Off to the side, Jade was smacking Hayden's hands away as he tried to poke her, knowing from past experience that the younger teen squealed loudly if you got her in the right spot. Finally resorting to violence, she slammed an elbow into his gut and then stepped forward, ignoring his dramatized choking and wheezing as Geoffrey raised an amused eyebrow at her

"Yum. Can we _eat_ now?"

Jade whined, jigging impatiently on the spot as the two adults finally finished serving themselves. She all but pounced on the food, earning a snicker from Katrina, who'd half filled her own plate already. Affecting a wounded disposition, Hayden slouched up behind Jade, who shot him a sidelong look and pointedly moved away.

Shaking his head and bemoaning the feckful nature of today's youth, he gallantly bowed the two out of the kitchen and proceeded to load everything that was left over onto his plate.

The family arranged themselves on the wide couches in the living room, set into the corner and each spreading for a good three metres. Set across the opposite corner, the tv unit boasted a tall, 55" plasma tv, with surround sound speakers cannily mounted throughout the semi-enclosed room.

Curling up on the corner of the couch next to Katrina, Jade balanced her plate on a pillow, content now that she was in good company with food in front of her. Then the remote wars began.

"Turn it over to better homes and gardening, love."

"But my sweet, we watched that _last_ night. It's time we watched real TV, and there's a new episode of NCIS taped."

Lorraine sniffed, making an impatient noise as she reached for the foxtel remote. Eyes narrowing slightly at the amiable expression of her husband, she spoke in a voice of thinly veiled warning.

"Yes, and we also watched NCIS for the last _three nights_ before that, my dear. So it won't hurt you to watch something _other_ than violence and homicides for _one_ evening."

Faces pointed firmly at their plates, Hayden and Katrina spared the time to share a moment of simultaneous eye rolls, clearly accustomed to the spectacle. Jade had gotten used to it, having spent half her time at the Websy house, but it was still a little odd to watch as her house hold was all female, being just her, her younger sister, and her mother. They usually agreed on what they wanted to watch or their mother dictated it.

Watching Lorraine and Geoffrey fence behind pleasantries was a _different_ experience, and she flicked her eyes between them like an avid spectator at a cricket match. At least, right up to the point where Lorraine turned to look at her, knife poised over her plate, and shot the teen a look that all but screamed, 'agree with me and shut the block-head up.'

"As a guest in our house, Jade, what would you prefer to watch?"

Eyes wide, Jade shot her friend a pleading look and got only a muted snicker in return. Wracking her brain, she frantically grasped at straws.

"Umm... Well, actually, it's almost time for Batman on Cartoon Network."

A stony silence met her words as Geoffrey shook his head in silent laughter, before Lorraine gave up, a wry smile quirking her lips.

"Aright, fine, we'll watch NCIS."

It was an ill kept secret that Lorraine actually _liked_ the show, but she put up a little resistance purely to hammer her point home- _other_ people where allowed to choose the shows sometimes. Carefully raising a forkful of dripping carrot to her mouth, Jade hid her grin. Staying over at Katrina's house was always _fun_.

==/==

"Get him! Oh, oh- _noo_, not again!"

Jade wailed, burying her face in her pillow as yet another bomb exploded against Kurama, sending fresh blood spurting into the air and splashing against his clothes. Curled up on the bed beside her, Katrina grinned. Since the younger teen had finally gotten the complete series, they'd mutually agreed to watch Yuu Yuu Hakusho from start to finish together. They'd just gotten up to the Dark Tournament again, and she was eagerly waiting for the fox to pull his 'plant-mojo' as she called it.

"C'mon, c'mon- oh yeah baby, take that! Man, have you ever noticed how much fox-boy gets beaten up?"

Katrina mused, as Jade watched the screen raptly. Finally tearing her eyes away, she nodded quickly, before turning back to the TV Katrina had mounted on a wall unit.

"I _know_. I mean, the first time we really see him, he lets Hiei stab him, and then in the Maze Castle he gets bloodied up _again_, and stabbed... It's like he's a martyr or something."

"A really hot _red haired_ martyr,"

The brunette jeered, poking her friend in the ribs. Jade squirmed and flushed, before raking her thick ponytail back over her shoulder. Biting back a yawn, she fought down the urge to simply cuddle up and go to sleep. She knew that Katrina had stopped reading the subtitles an hour ago, but the teen wanted to wait until the end of the episode.

"I refuse to answer that on grounds of self incrimination,"

She shot back after a moment, grinning at her friend. Katrina yawned hugely, before fumbling for the remote.

"Mmhhm. I think it's time for bed, it's almost 1AM, and unlike _some_ people, I don't like staying up till ungodly hours of the morning."

"Oohhh... yeah, good point."

Stretching as she got up, Jade regretfully popped the dvd back into its case and tucked the box into the mess of books and papers on Katrina's desk. Dumping herself onto the mattress stuffed between Kat's bed and desk, she attributed her odd shiver to the whumpf of cold air that had accompanied her sudden movement.

Snuggling into the quilt, she blinked as the room was pitched into sudden darkness. Sheets rustled as Katrina settled herself down, and the younger teen waited patiently for her eyes to adjust. There was a soft sigh, and Jade smiled into the darkness; she already knew that Katrina had only been staying up to keep her company.

"Gnite, Kitty."

"Mrft. Nite Jade,"

Came the drowsy reply, followed by yet another yawn. The old superstition about yawns being contagious had some truth to it, as the teen stretched her jaw in a yawn of her own. Shifting to her side, she let her mind churn idly, trying to calm herself enough so that she could go to sleep.

Even though it was a bit weird, she _had_ to have been imagining the whole Hayden's 'friends' and 'Kuwabara' thing, because it was too strange to actually be real. It still made her feel ill at ease thinking about it, but there was really nothing she could do. Besides, Katrina had her big date tomorrow, and that was important...

Somewhere between one thought and another Jade feel asleep, unconsciously clutching the silver pendant she'd brought with her for protection.

==/==

Always a light sleeper, Jade woke what felt like an hour or so later. She lay there in the darkness for a moment, eyes tracing the shape of the room in the muted light of the street lamp spilling in past a crack in the curtains. Drowsy mind chugging slowly, she tried to figure out what had woken her up. When nothing immediately presented herself she decided to go to the toilet since she was already awake.

Stretching a little, she tugged her loose boxers higher and ambled from the room, padding quietly across the wood floorboards on bare feet. Walking on the edges of her feet and spreading her weight out, she eased into the toilet, mind still wrapped in the blissful haze of sleepyness. Dreamily thinking of how nice it would be to get back into her warm bed, she washed her hands on auto pilot when distant voices tickled the edges of her perception.

Frowning at her reflection, she blinked and rubbed at her eyes, wondering if she'd imagined them. But- no, there was the muted slam of a car door and then thudding footsteps. Curiosity waking her a little, she walked out into the foyer, which the whole house vaguely ringed.

Hovering on its edges, she peered around, still not quite all there. It was probably the neighbours, she decided after a moment, and had just turned to go back to bed when the front security light was tripped, sending light streaming in through the glazed front door. Abstract patterns of colour lit up the entry-way rug, and she stared at them for a moment before events finally caught up with her mind.

Someone had gone out late and was just coming back, but who could it be? There'd be a note if someone was hurt, and she didn't remember anyone mentioning having to leave, so- the front door opened, cutting off her musings. Eyes watering at the blaze of light, Jade blinked and stepped back into the shadows of the hall, covering her eyes with her hand as she waited impatiently for them to adjust. Shivering again, she tugged at her snug singlet, and wondered if the night outside had turned chilly again.

"... just come through here, and- Hayden, pick that up, don't drag it,"

Lorraine scolded, voice a little ragged and weary. Confused, Jade hovered in the hall, wondering just who they where escorting inside, because she'd finally woken up enough to realise the obvious. A tall shadow broke up the light and then Geoffrey walked inside, towing a large suitcase and with a duffel bag under one arm.

He nodded at her as she stepped back, and the teen watched as he headed down past Katrina's room for the spare, guest bedrooms at the other end of the house. Puzzled, Jade rubbed her arm and debated going back to bed. But she wanted to know who they'd gone out to pick up, and eventually decided a little subterfuge was in order.

Waling out into the foyer, she walked past the dining table and headed for the open kitchen, shifting past the bar that separated it from the rest of the room. Grabbing a glass from the dish rack, she kept an eye on the hall to the front of the house, as a cursing and yawning Hayden stumbled down it loaded with luggage.

Pouring herself some cold water, Jade listened in as Lorraine ushered someone inside and then locked the door behind them. Resting her weight on one hip against the counter, she affected drowsiness as she watched the short hallway that lead to the front door.

A long shadow spilled down it and she took a quick sip of water, wondering furiously who it could be. Maybe a relative, or something had happened to a friend, or... Jade blinked in surprise as the shadow split itself, the shapes of two medium height males distinguishing themselves from the drab grey shadows of the entry hall.

The outside light had flicked off, leaving their faces all but invisible. All she could tell was that one was about her height and of slim build, and the other was a bit taller, stockier, and had funny shaped hair. Looking a little anxious, Lorraine was shepherding them with gestures towards the hall when she looked up and spotted the teen with a glass of water.

"What- oh, sweetie, we didn't wake you up, did we?"

Jade flushed and shook her head, not wanting to trouble the older woman. Setting a hand on her hip, the brunette considered the teen before clucking her tongue and then sighing. The two strange guests stood mutely near her, body language telling clearly that they where beyond tired.

"Where has Hayden got to? Damn that boy, he'd better not have gone to bed..."

Lorraine muttered, and stalked off down the hall after a shooting a vague stopping motion at her new guests. Watching them curiously, Jade pricked her ears up as she noted the low, rippling sound of Japanese passing between them. She wasn't as fluent as Hayden was, but he'd been coaching her for years now, and she was good enough at understanding most conversations.

(("I bet Hayden feel asleep or something,"))

The taller one murmured with a low, brassy chuckle. Standing beside him and carrying a backpack loosely in one hand, the more slender male shrugged, brushing a long lock of hair away from his ear. Trying not to stare, Jade quickly finished off her glass of water as he replied.

(("I'm sure they'll show us to our rooms quickly, and-"))

Whatever else he'd been about to say was drowned out by low, furious whispers as several people trudged up the hallway. Looking annoyed, Lorraine had Hayden by the ear and dragged him over to the guests. Expression contrite, he freed his ear and bobbed a quick bow, offering them his apologies.

Biting back a yawn, the dusty haired uni student clapped the taller teen on the back and lead them off down the hall, his father shaking his head with a small smile as he did. Spotting her chance, Jade bobbed her head in acknowledgement to her friend's parents and quickly dived into Katrina's room.

Biting back a yawn, she shut the door and crawled onto her bed, sure that the strange events would set her head spinning and bar her from sleep. Cuddling her pillow, Jade sleepily wondered wether this would affect Katrina's hot date or not, and somewhere along the line Kitty donned wings and a ruby dress, and then she was slip-sliding down the stairs, staring in horror at the clock that counted towards her doom, and wondering how on earth she'd almost spent her 13 hours so quickly.


	9. Chapter Nine: It's a dark road

**Chapter Nine:** It's a dark place... (When you walk that road alone.)

* * *

Slipping beneath the rose brush, Jade felt her fur ripple with unease. Making an unhappy sound in the back of her throat, she tucked her bushy tails about her firmly and huddled closer to the wall, licking at her shoulder to try and tame the bristling mess. Pale silver eyes glowing in the evening light, she crouched and shifted on her paws, sifting through the scents on the air.

Sensation blindsided her, the subtle threads of grass twining with the full throated cry of the roses, as from further afield the cool, pure laughter of water reached her and then there was swooning musk grabbing her firmly by the muzzle and perfume swooping at her from dizzying heights and itwastoomuch she couldn't andtheywhere and she _didn't_-

Gasping for breath, Jade jolted painfully, knocking her elbow against the arm of the chair. Close to hyperventilating, she dipped down until she could feel the reassuring pressure of her knees against her temples. Sucking in slow draughts of air, she let out a low sound of relief as soft silk brushed her skin.

A chill crept over her at the feeling, and unease raked gentle claws over her exposed back. Shifting her weight, she half rose from the chair, feeling her horror stricken heart beat a despairing solo in her chest. It was a world gone mad. Drab and demure moths fluttered and beat against the glass separating them from the dance floor, always moving, ringing it and sobbing as they clawed frantically.

Expressions cool with disdain, the ones within the light murmured and made sharp, cutting comments that sent lancing shards outwards, tearing the Dancers to shreds little by little. She could see _worlds_ in those tears, caught dizzying glimpses of streets and bedrooms alike and yet not her own.

Forcing herself to breathe slowly and carefully, Jade got to her feet, cradling her elbow. Acting on instinct, she drifted into the shadows of a stand of potted plants, watching the edge of the dance floor carefully. Others tripped and stumbled, ripped free from the light and thrust to the edges of the dance floor, clothed forcefully in glamour and delusions, in fantasies and secret hopes that suited them none till the dawn.

Fractures split and tore the dance floor into sharp divisions, drawing down the lines of the battlefield. **I**_t_ rippled through the crowds, pausing here and there to absently drain a Dancer before twisting to prey on an Other, seemingly indiscriminate in whom it hunted.

Fighting her terror at the sight of that pure, distilled _perfection_, Jade shrank back into the cool touch of the greenery, unconsciously inhaling and trying to sort the scents around her. Somewhere far away a clock began to ring but she paid it no attention, too focused on teasing out a subtle scent from nearby.

Her tails twitched as the scent drifted away and she let out a low growl, skin itching inside the silk dress. A wild longing ripped through her, rattling and howling through her rib cage; how easy it would be to slide from this dress, this human skin, and prowl the dance floor on silent paws, to lead astray these poor young ones and take them to a dark corner where she could feed undisturbed...

Flexing her hands and feeling her nails dull themselves down, Jade took in a shuddering breath. Now was _not_ the time to take a Walk, she told herself sternly, the silver chain about her neck feeling heavier with each passing second. Seconds- wait, but _what_, this was important- the heavy bass thud of the clock's ringing chime rattled through her until she felt she was about to shake herself to pieces.

Teeth chattering, she stumbled backwards and hit the wall- or at least she _thought_ she did, because suddenly the world was all a glittering glass-green maze where even a breath could flay her to scarlet ribbons. The silver about her neck _burned_ and she fought to hold onto that, the pain burning brightly even as the plants about her shifted and murmured, sending creeping roots and vines out to bind her hand and foot, leaves slyly inching across her face to muffle her low snarls.

This was- _not_, and before it had- but now she was, and They- _Four,_ she HAD to remember that, because- hurting, dragging her down and hurt _so much_ to battle against the tide, and- it was cold claws sinking a bone deep ache into her as it looked at her with eyes that _burned_- and he was saying something in a voice low and melodious but- it no longer had words, it was Perfection, it was **I**_t, _and she was- spiralling, falling, tumbling ever deeper with the ringing chime of midnight crying in her ears.

Jade bolted upright with a gasp, heart thudding in her ears, and reached her hands upwards for the silver chain about her neck. Only tender, abraded skin met her searching fingertips; and even as she patted her pillow and the floor nearby, a sinking feeling told the teen that her protection was gone for good.

==/==

Luxuriating in the cozy warmth cocooning her, Jade let out a grumpy noise when someone prodded her with a foot. She bunched up inside her quilt, yanking it over her head as the curtains where forcefully yanked open.

"Morning girls! Time to wake up!"

Lorraine carolled, nudging Jade with her foot again as she unceremoniously yanked the blankets off of her daughter. Katrina let out a howl of protest that died down to a whimper, curling up into a foetal ball. Her mother gave a low, satisfied chuckle that turned into surprised laughter when a cranky Katrina started hurling pillows at her mother.

Meanwhile, Jade had decided she didn't want to be part of the pillow/blanket war erupting between mother and daughter. Wrapping her quilt around her, she shuffled out of the room, barely noticing when a pillow whumpfed into her side as she reached the door. Blearily looking down the hallway, she minced down it, making an irritated noise as the cold wood chilled her bare feet.

Katrina had taken the war to the next level and was, from the noise level, apparently trying to strangle her mother with her quilt. Nudging open Hayden's door, the brunette yawned hugely and stumbled over to the bed in the middle of the dark room. Tired from waking up so early that morning, she didn't even notice the lump in the middle of the bed until she crawled onto it.

"Mmph- what the- Jade, is that you?"

A tousled blonde head poked itself up out of the blankets and Hayden blinked, scrubbing the sleep crust from his eyes. Making an unhappy noise, Jade wrapped her blankets around herself and curled into a ball at the end of the bed. Sitting up fully, Hayden looked between his half open door and the weary teen at the foot of his bed, the gears in his mind churning slowly.

"AAhh! GEORGE! Young lady, that is- _aahh!_ Katrina Websy, that is _cheating_!"

Lorraine howled indignantly, her protests almost drowned out underneath her daughters maniacal cackle of delight. Arching an eyebrow, Hayden shook his head slowly and grinned. A typical weekend morning, then, but he wasn't really in the mood to join in on the family fun. Yawning hugely, he slumped back down into bed, carefully angling his feet away from Jade's head. The teen in question huffed a quiet, contented sigh of delight and promptly fell asleep once more.

* * *

It was the lack of noise that woke her, Jade decided later. Something in her reacted, setting off alarms when she could no longer register the familiar noises of a suburban house in the middle of the day. Yawning, she pulled herself into a seated position, feeling as though she was moving through air as heavy as mud. Raking sleep mussed hair from her face, the teen shivered a little as cool air hit her bare shoulders.

Glancing around the room, she at first mistook the odd blurring of her vision as a symptom of her having not woken up properly. Rubbing at her eyes, she glanced towards the door and froze, tension yanking hard on her muscles as the air within the doorway _rippled_, flexing with strange lights that warped her view of what should have been the hallway beyond it.

One hand absently rubbing the sore, ridged welts around her neck, Jade cautiously eased herself to her feet and walked forward, doubling over as nausea dug vicious claws into her stomach, making her dry retch as she drew closer to the door.

Pausing about a metre away, the teen eyed off the forming vortex, mind gone blank from shock. Those odd, shivering waves of unease where setting up a tattoo at the base of her spine, pulsing in time to the fragments of sound ricocheting around the room.

"-going to be dangerous, but"

"...Koenma-sama, we accept—"

"—call Hayden, I was going to—"

"...course we would love to have you over, especially—"

"—come pick us up we would appreciate it, our flight—"

"...going to have to leave early, and..."

Shuddering, Jade backed up as she braced her head in her hands, trying to deny what she was hearing. As she moved backwards the rhythm within her seemed to change, making her feel off balance, as though she was a few steps behind in the dance. Then the voices changed from not-but-familiar to known-and-familiar.

"—happy to come over, I can help you get ready—"

"...really want this to go well, I'm sure we can..."

"—make it work, I know you can—"

"...leave around 10am, you'll be fine to..."

"—course I can get home, it's all good and—"

Fighting back tears, Jade sank to the floor with her hands over her ears, feeling desperately confused as the two beats warred within her. She felt delicate and frail, half expecting the next beat to be strong enough to shatter her into pieces. Somewhere far, far away a third beat added a counterpoint tune, drawing the other two into harmony as the low, thudding bass rumbled through her.

Stiffly getting to her feet, the teen roughly wiped at her face, forcing herself to take slow, calming breaths. She didn't quite understand what was going on, or why the world around her was slowly condensing into nothing more than two great, swirling doorways... but she could breathe, she could think, and with the slow toll of the clock thudding down till midnight, she had time to think.

Moving cautiously, she eased herself closer to where the doorway out of what had been Hayden's room was. As she did so the snippets of sound warbled out to her, the words and the voices within them fading in and out, as though they were slowly being tuned to a frequency she could hear. Jade trembled when she recognised the names being spoken, but the odd burn marks around her throat helped to ground her.

Taking a few steps back, towards where the window should have been, she relaxed a little when she recognised her own voice, as well as that of Katrina's. It appeared as though she had a choice- dare the unknown, or retreat into the comfort of the familiar. But there was _more_ to it than that, she argued silently. She could very well be leaving behind all that she knew and loved for something beyond imagining, where she might not even have her family!

Engrossed in battling her thoughts, it took her a few minutes to realise that there was an odd, strangely familiar beat that didn't fit into anything that she'd heard so far. Opening her eyes cautiously, Jade looked around, swallowing heavily when she turned around and found herself face to face with her reflection.

Or... that was what she had _seemed_ to be. Other-Jade smirked, flashing fang as she examined sharp, curved nails. Black tipped, furry ears perked up with interest, belying the indifferent slouch of her body. By her knees, black tipped tails where swaying lazily- all four of them, in fact. She shifted her weight to one hip, an eyebrow rising as she concerned her dumbstruck human counterpart.

Then she grimaced, and Jade noticed the blood. It was hard to see against the black clothing she was wearing, but then the Other-Jade grunted, bracing a hand against her side, and when she drew it away her palm was wet with blood. Eyes gone wide, Jade took a hesitant step forward, wondering if there was something she should be, _could_ be doing.

"Wait."

Freezing at the sound of that oddly familiar voice, the teen swayed back on the balls of her feet, hands fisted by her sides. Jaw working as she tried to find the words that she need to speak, she finally settled for meeting the calm, cool grey gaze of her counter-part. Tilting her head in acknowledgment, the Other-Jade lifted her clean hand, palm up.

Driven by the subtle whisper of the _more_ that always lurked at the edges of her mind, Jade carefully lifted her hand and fit into that of her other self's.

"Are you... a youko?"

Amusement glittering in her eyes, Other-Jade granted the teen a quick, bright smile.

"We haven't much time. I've come to offer you a choice."

Jade could feel the way her Other-self was steadily slipping away, in the tiny tremors of her hand, and the fingers that brushed her wrist as the fox-woman fought to keep her balance.

"I... my dreams. Did you send them to me?"

Arching an eyebrow again, the fox raked a bloodstained hand through her loose hair, letting out a rumble of discontent as the move pulled at her wound. Blood was beginning to pool at her feet, having already soaked through her thin, black silk vest.

"No. You managed to access a node, and I gained access to you through that connection."

Mind racing, Jade felt the puzzle pieces falling into place. With enough time, she _knew_ that she could understand this, she just needed a little bit _more_—The teen let out a startled yelp as something deeper and more ominous than thunder cracked over head, shaking her down to the very marrow in her bones. Across from her, Other-Jade grimaced, panting slightly as her face began to pale.

"_Listen_ to me. You have to choose. I'm fading fast- much longer and I won't have any tails to save us with."

Head jerking up, Jade stared at the fox in shock. That had _not_ been what she was expecting to hear. Before she could marshal herself to demand an explanation, the fox pulled her closer, tone gone clipped and brisk as she tried to keep her pain from showing too obviously.

"You exist in a world parallel to mine. Your talent was stronger than that of most dreamers who connect to a node, and it got you noticed- in _both_ worlds, and beyond."

Deciding that trying to make sense of all of this was a waste of time, Jade managed to nod, firming her jaw as sharp nails dug at her skin. Her Other-self was hunched over slightly, using the teen as a support.

"I made a mistake, and got myself into some... trouble. Lord Koenma dispatched some of his Reikai pets, in the hope of locating and _ending_ the dimensional disturbances you caused by connecting to the node so strongly."

Pausing for a moment, Other-self wiped at her sweaty forehead, panting heavily. Biting her lip, Jade cautiously moved in closer, easing in until she could support her Other-self with an arm around her waist. Hissing slightly, the fox-woman shifted her grip and leant heavily against the teenager.

"At the same time, I was _reprimanded_ for my mistake. Then you made a direct connection to me from the node."

Trying to ignore the sick, queasy feeling in her stomach at the sight, smell and feel of blood, Jade forced herself to examine the situation at hand. This was _important_, and it felt like every part of her being was shrieking a warning to step carefully.

"You said I had to choose. Do you mean I choose whether I live and you die, or whether I stay in my reality or yours?"

Her monetary flash of pride at her realization was replaced by the sting of wounded ego as the fox let out a raspy chuckle and swayed against her.

"A rather simplistic view, but close enough. Now listen closely, I can only say this once. I have enough strength to save us, but _you_ must make the choice. Our soul is linked now, and if I die, so do you. Choose your world and I will fade into your being- you will always be odd, on the edge, different. Choose mine, and you will be one among many, but there is every chance that the Reikai dogs will imprison us."

Jade didn't even stop to think about her words- as her other-self had panted and gasped her way through her explanation, she had felt a slow, itching burn open up from her ribs and down across to her hip, with blood leaking sluggishly from the wound as it formed.

"That isn't everything, but you're right—we don't have time."

Somehow, she knew that she'd already made her choice. Jade had expected to be afraid, the same way that she always was. She'd waited for the doubts, the fears and insecurities to raise their ugly heads, paralysing her until the time to make a decision had passed, leaving her powerless and out of control once more. But somehow they... hadn't seemed as important. Because she already knew what door she would step through- _had _been stepping through, really, for almost a year now.

Chin lifting stubbornly, Jade shifted her grip on her Other-self and began to slowly, painfully drag them both to the door that she had chosen. Claws digging into the flesh of the teens upper arm, the fox tried to help as much as she was able.

"Are you... sure about this? There is no turning back once you walk through that door."

Sniffling back tears as the wound across her abdomen began to seep through the thin cotton of her singlet, Jade somehow found the strength to speak through a pain unlike anything she had experienced before.

"I never... I didn't ask for any of this. But now..."

Swallowing past the burn in her throat, she resisted the urge to rub at her itchy, tear streaked face. Pausing in front of the vortex, she looked down at her bloodstained feet and considered the last step she had to make. She had nice feet, Jade noted absently- they both did. Hopefully they still would after this.

Gathering up the dregs of her courage, she deliberately didn't take a deep breath—because that would hurt _way_ too much.

"Ok. You ready?"

The fox let out a low, pained laugh and slumped against the teen.

"As ever, little one. Take us through."

Screwing up her face, Jade forced her eyes open, shifted her weight... and let them fall.

* * *

A/N: It's been almost a year since I updated this story... which I feel really bad about. Hopefully this is interesting enough and long enough to make up for that. I'm trying this strange thing called self-discipline, and if I can stick to my guns, there should be another chapter up before the end of November. Again, my apologies for leaving this for so long; I got really stuck on how to proceed with the story. I'm not happy with a few bits, but after managing to write everything after the dream sequence in one sitting, I decided it was a better idea to post it, as opposed to sulking about it.


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